Jared Paul wrote: We got pics of folks with them sewed onto holes in the knees of jeans as mending patches, sewed onto butt pockets, onto winter hats, on bike badges, and on my new coat... i'ma have to send those over.

yeah, send those over pronto, mang.
that's a good collection of photos we should build upon.

Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:55 pm

Captiv8

Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 8546
Location: Third Coast

Jared Paul wrote: I love those fuckin' patches- maybe mostly cause I do have a sweeet jean jacket made in the U.S. to sew them on!

Mr. Paul, can you recommend some U.S. clothing companies for dressier clothes? I'd like to get into that game, but all my shit is made in China or Bangladesh. I'll send you an e-mail too, if I can find your addy.

Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:01 am

Jared Paul

Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 3719
Location: www.PrayersForAtheists.org

Captiv8 wrote:

Jared Paul wrote: I love those fuckin' patches- maybe mostly cause I do have a sweeet jean jacket made in the U.S. to sew them on!

Mr. Paul, can you recommend some U.S. clothing companies for dressier clothes? I'd like to get into that game, but all my shit is made in China or Bangladesh. I'll send you an e-mail too, if I can find your addy.

I buy a lot of second hand stuff; personally, buying something from Savers, SA, or Goodwill feels completely sustainable and responsible regardless of where it was originally made. As long as my purchase isn't leading to the production of more goods from questionable companies/practices.

For brand new stuff, No Sweat, Levis, Carhardt, Guess, and American Apparel all have at least some lines of jeans, shirts, socks, and jackets that were made in the U.S. But they may be more expensive lines and you may have to dig for them. Finding out how much American cotton is used in the process is difficult to ascertain. Working on that now

Last edited by Jared Paul on Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

Jared Paul wrote: I love those fuckin' patches- maybe mostly cause I do have a sweeet jean jacket made in the U.S. to sew them on!

Mr. Paul, can you recommend some U.S. clothing companies for dressier clothes? I'd like to get into that game, but all my shit is made in China or Bangladesh. I'll send you an e-mail too, if I can find your addy.

I buy a lot of second hand stuff; personally, buying something from Savers, SA, or Goodwill feels completely sustainable and responsible regardless of where it was originally made. As long as my purchase isn't leading to the production of more goods from questionable companies/practices.

For brand new stuff, No Sweat, Levis, Carhardt, Guess, and American Apparel all have at least some lines of jeans, shirts, socks, and jackets that were made in the U.S. But they may be more expensive lines and you may have to dig for them. Finding out how much American cotton is used in the process is difficult to ascertain. Working on that now

Thanks for the response and e-mail. I need to be more conscious of how I'm interacting with the world, and this seems like the next logical step for me.

So we did two shows when we were in Twin Cities on the 29th. One was at 7th Street Entry during the day, and the other was at this collective called the St. Paul Opera House at night. SPOH puts on bad ass diy shows for touring indy acts and runs a live podcast out of their attic recording studio. They interview traveling musicians, play indy music, and discuss the Twin Cities arts scene. They asked PFA to sit down for an in studio chat session and we ended up making a really good time out of it. The podcast is up now:
http://www.radio-noir.com/2009/08/prayers-for-atheists-live-at-saint-paul.html

Prayers for Atheists' self-titled debut EP comes with an interesting backstory. Jared Paul was among those arrested at one particular RNC protest in 2008; he was charged with "felony-riot," but after some funds were raised by fans and supporters, an attorney was hired for his defense and the case was dropped. The resultant record is a celebration of sorts; while one can see it's certainly inspired, it's pretty good musically, too.

Prayers for Atheists is mostly Rage Against the Machine-influenced hip-hop/punk tracks and otherwise `80s hardcore-type jams. While sometimes these styles interestingly converge (see the middle of "Patriarchy Presents"), they're usually pretty distinct (the live cut of "Tom Delay" is a straight-up repetitive `80s hardcore sing-along in the best way possible). The RATM influence is pretty undeniable, especially with Paul (who does lead vocals here) sounding a pinch like Zach de la Rocha, but thankfully, this is one of those post-Rage bands who clearly "got it." Even as the raw "Tom Delay" quickly transitions to the entirely more nimble, restrained "Lot's Wife," Paul's punctual syllable delivery is deliberate and thoughtful and not at all jarring despite its predecessor.

Pretty much all the songs revolve around Paul's jailing experience, or otherwise his political views ("Tom Delay! / Fuck you!"). Whie the record's kinda one-sided, his images are plenty picturesque and why he would solely sing about that makes sense.

A very solid debut whose traits and inspirations you can hear and see clearly but can enjoy all the same.

Prayers for Atheists' self-titled debut EP comes with an interesting backstory. Jared Paul was among those arrested at one particular RNC protest in 2008; he was charged with "felony-riot," but after some funds were raised by fans and supporters, an attorney was hired for his defense and the case was dropped. The resultant record is a celebration of sorts; while one can see it's certainly inspired, it's pretty good musically, too.

Prayers for Atheists is mostly Rage Against the Machine-influenced hip-hop/punk tracks and otherwise `80s hardcore-type jams. While sometimes these styles interestingly converge (see the middle of "Patriarchy Presents"), they're usually pretty distinct (the live cut of "Tom Delay" is a straight-up repetitive `80s hardcore sing-along in the best way possible). The RATM influence is pretty undeniable, especially with Paul (who does lead vocals here) sounding a pinch like Zach de la Rocha, but thankfully, this is one of those post-Rage bands who clearly "got it." Even as the raw "Tom Delay" quickly transitions to the entirely more nimble, restrained "Lot's Wife," Paul's punctual syllable delivery is deliberate and thoughtful and not at all jarring despite its predecessor.

Pretty much all the songs revolve around Paul's jailing experience, or otherwise his political views ("Tom Delay! / Fuck you!"). Whie the record's kinda one-sided, his images are plenty picturesque and why he would solely sing about that makes sense.

A very solid debut whose traits and inspirations you can hear and see clearly but can enjoy all the same.

Nice catch Frank! This is a really positive review for a "3 out of 5"... I wonder what a 4 out of 5 five review would sound like?! Thanks to PunkNews.org regardless. Gotta send whoever wrote this an email high five. Though songs like Rows of Steel, Wrong Horse, and Bike Song are not really all that political at all, and Lot's Wife is nowhere near conventional political or about "jailing", and the four of those make up half the album. Not that I'm lookin the gift horse in the wrong mouth or nuthin'... just sayin. ( :

Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:18 am

futuristxen

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 19377
Location: Tighten Your Bible Belt

Growing up listening to RATM did you ever think you'd end up having yourself compared to Zach De La Rocha in a music review?

Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:33 am

FranktheP

Joined: 21 Jul 2004
Posts: 1371
Location: East Coast, Fuck You!

Jared Paul wrote: Nice catch Frank! This is a really positive review for a "3 out of 5"... I wonder what a 4 out of 5 five review would sound like?! Thanks to PunkNews.org regardless. Gotta send whoever wrote this an email high five. Though songs like Rows of Steel, Wrong Horse, and Bike Song are not really all that political at all, and Lot's Wife is nowhere near conventional political or about "jailing", and the four of those make up half the album. Not that I'm lookin the gift horse in the wrong mouth or nuthin'... just sayin. ( :

I think most of these on here are memeber reviews. They do have people they pay to do reviews but anybody can turn one in. 3 out of 5 is pretty decent on that site especially for this type of music.

"Even before listening to the actual EP, I knew that "Prayers for Atheists" consisted of strong members all wanting to share their story. One story in particular, lead singer Jared Paulís, was displayed on the insert of the EP, and naturally I read it. In July 2008, Jared Paul was arrested at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota while attending a concert. The police showed up "with guns raised, rushed civilians and forced them to the ground, clinched their wrists, and dragged them off to jail without any cause or explanation." After a long, costly, and stressful ordeal, the case was dismissed. And once Paul was free from the case, he took his anger and his emotions and with the help of Alan Hague, created this dynamic EP.

If I had not read the story on the inside of the EP, I would have soon learned about it through the 3 minute song "Psalm For St. Paul", which tells the listener all the gruesome details about the unfortunate event, and the corruption within the police. The style of "Prayers for Atheists" is similar to "Rage Against the Machine" or even "Public Enemy", because of the political raps that Jared Paul pours out. "Prayers for Atheists" are especially related to "Rage Against the Machine" in songs like "The Bike Song", "Wrong Horse" (which also deals with Jared Paulís incident with the police, and even declares it when he says "HALF THE FUCKING ALBUM IS ABOUT YOU!") and "Coathangar 18", a song that deals with abortion, which showcases their opinion for hot topics in America. Although "Prayers for Atheists" have a heavy rap melody, their hardcore punk roots come alive in "Tom Delay", dedicated to the House of Representative himself. The track has a tone similar to "Minor Threat" and "Black Flag", and once again shows off their knowledge for politics. Lastly, another song that breaks away from the rap harmony is "Lotís Wife". "Lotís Wife" has a poetic vibe to it, with artistic and insightful lyrics that comes to no surprise.

"Prayers for Atheists" is a band that should be praised for a variety of reasons. One is their ability to have a range of musical techniques, from rap to 80ís hardcore Punk. Another reason why they should be praised is that they have knowledge - knowledge about harsh reality, knowledge about a world outside their own, and knowledge about the politics that surround our nation. Last, but not least, "Prayers for Atheists" should be exalted for their dedication to help the "Conspiracy to Riot" campaign because as the band says "Fighting back takes effort, but it is absolutely necessaryÖin the street, at work, in school, and in the courtroom."

Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:45 am

Jared Paul

Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 3719
Location: www.PrayersForAtheists.org

futuristxen wrote: Growing up listening to RATM did you ever think you'd end up having yourself compared to Zach De La Rocha in a music review?

When I was growing up I thought I was going to be a teacher- music was an inseparable part of my life but I felt like actually making songs/music was something that was way beyond me (and certainly not really something that was in my future). I sound like a broken record saying it, but Francis really changed a lot of things for me. My father was very adamant about raising me to believe that I could do anything- Frank actually manifested that in real time. Seeing the way he said what he was going to do, made a plan, and then did it- with such certainty and such force, kicked my ass in a very serious way. Since then, whether it was going vegan cold turkey, quitting drinking, selling enough tickets to fill entire protest buses, writing, performing, organizing actions, running a college news program, coaching/mentoring youth, or booking my own tours, I've had his example as both a motivating force to do better and as a shaming post when I've under produced.

I believe in the art I'm making now whole heartedly and it's definitely stimulating to finally have a tangible product that is receiving feedback- I'm still figuring out how I feel about the artistic comparisons I've heard so far.

You know a lot about many different styles of music and I respect your opinion a ton, I'm pretty sure that you don't think the PFA songs sound too heavily RATM influenced... but it seems like something the band is going to have to deal with as things progress, do you mind if i ask how you feel about the comparisons?

Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:57 pm

Travadone

Joined: 05 Mar 2009
Posts: 2977
Location: LI(f)E SUCKS (The Album)

I really don't like the blatant RATM routine. I rolled my eyes at it when I seen it live.